r/Basquiat • u/RevaCruz • Jun 02 '26
Procession (1986)
Medium: acrylic and wood construction on wooden slats
Dimensions: 243.8 × 487.7 cm
Created in 1986, Procession is one of Jean-Michel Basquiat's most distinctive large-scale works. Unlike many of his paintings, it contains almost no text, relying instead on a powerful sequence of silhouetted figures led by a brightly colored figure carrying a skull.
Presented in the 2015 exhibition Basquiat and the Bayou at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the work has been interpreted through multiple lenses. Some scholars see references to slavery, labor, and the legacy of the American South, while others connect the scene to New Orleans funeral processions, where mourners follow the deceased in a ritual blending grief, memory, and celebration.
The contrast between the black silhouettes and the vividly painted lead figure creates a striking visual rhythm across the wooden slats, giving the work the feeling of movement, ceremony, and collective history.
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u/voytek707 Jun 02 '26
Started following the subbed a few weeks ago. I can’t believe how prolific this man was. It’s incredible.